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Research analysis

Samsung to scale up 16nm DRAM output in 2020, says Digitimes Research

Betty Shyu, DIGITIMES Research, Taipei

Tuesday 9 April 2019

Samsung Electronics uses mainly 18nm process technology to manufacture server DRAM chips, and is gearing up for transition to a newer 16nm process node in 2020, according to Digitimes Research.

Samsung has held an over 50% share of the global server DRAM market in terms of unit shipments. The company has started volume producing 8Gb server DRAM chips using 18nm process technology since mid 2018, and will scale up substantially 16nm-made chip output in 2020, said Digitimes Research.

In addition, speculation has been circulating in the industry that a batch of Samsung's 18nm server chips shipped to a US data center vendor was returned due to unstable product quality. The incident should have limited impact on the market equilibrium and prices, given that only an insignificant portion of total server DRAM shipments has been affected.

Server and data center applications are set to replace PCs and mobile devices as the largest target market of DRAM chipmakers by 2023, Digitimes Research believes.

The coronavirus outbreak has disrupted production and weakened consumer confidence, with all ICT sectors bracing for major declines in shipments. Digitimes Research has conducted analyses on three mobile device sectors, namely notebooks, smartphones and tablets in the wake of the outbreak.